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"id": 1406065,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
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"legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
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"content": "place you can find a champion of devolution is in the Senate. However, when you go to the countryside, you look at some of the governors, majority of them do not wish to be champions of devolution. Instead, they want to be champions of affluence, self-aggrandizement, bling-bling and showbiz. That is why you go to a public function in Busia, and you see your governor arriving in a chopper. You wonder while we were in this House, did we pass a fund for governors to be drawing from to hire choppers to go to public functions? It is very sad. I appeal to Members of the National Assembly. Their role in the division of revenue should not just be limited to the increasing NG-CDF and money meant for road maintenance. Their role should also include justification on why they arrive at a particular figure. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have sat in the Committee on Finance and Budget for long hours. Sometimes, we would arrive at 7.30 a.m., rush to normal senatorial work and run late into the night. Sometimes, we would work over the weekends, so that we beat this deadline. We have had proposals from the National Treasury. It has said that Kshs391 billion - fine, they have tried to justify it. We cannot fault them, they have to hold their ground. The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has proposed Kshs398 billion, and has justified it. The CoG has also attempted to justify their request for Kshs439 billion. Amazingly, the National Assembly has not justified anything. They just said we agree with the National Treasury without caring to ask or listen to Senators about the needs of our county governments and the people who live in those counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I must ask Members of the National Assembly to remember, if they have forgotten, which they should never do for as long as they are still alive, that they come from counties. The constituencies they represent are made of people who are the residents of these counties. Any development accruing to these people is in their interest. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I firmly support that we move away from Kshs391.1 billion as proposed by the National Treasury and rubber-stamped by the National Assembly and adopt the well-considered, well-thought-out figure of Kshs415.9522 billion. Having said this, I now appeal to the National Treasury that; play it fair. It is the Executive where the National Treasury sits, that asked counties to participate in the issue of housing levy, the social health insurance fund, county aggregated industrial parks and in helping to pay the community health promoters. Therefore, when we ask for more money beyond Kshs391 billion to Kshs415.9522 billion, it is because we want to help the national government to push its national agenda on housing, universal health, aggregated industrial parks and primary health care. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this brings me to my third point. That is, where does the money that we are talking about come from? It comes from raising revenue. At this The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}